Lots of stuff going on in the Whipple Family lately- each too small for a blog posting of their own but combining all of them sure makes a huge report. Enjoy the pics and commentary--
I (Curtis) filled a Priesthood assignment for security at the Mesa Temple Easter Pageant. From the time they install the stage with the sound and lighting equipment, they have somebody on site 24 hours per day to keep an eye on things. My turn was just before sunrise until 11AM. I took the liberty of climbing to the top of the stage for a view that not many people get.
I was just poking around back stage and was particularly moved by the sight of these stage props that would be used later.
Here are some directors notes for the movement of various props.
Snapped this one with a timer. This spot has multiple uses in several scenes. Jesus sat at the Temple here, as a boy, and talked with the doctors and lawyers. Later, this spot was where Pontius Pilate washed his hands of the blood of Jesus.
I was there on the day they were installing the sound system. It took 6 men about 5 hours to install 8 left speakers, 8 right, 8 center and 4 large subwoofers. I set up my own soundsystem- 4 left, 4 right and a subwoofer in about 45 minutes. Of course, these guys had to hoist them up about 30 feet. There were a couple of other guys installing lighting as well.
Our family actually went to see the show this week. We got to meet Caiaphas, the High Priest, just before the show. Note the breast plate he's wearing as described in Leviticus. Each stone of the breast plate represents one of the 12 tribes of Israel. He would bear thier names vicariously as he worked in the Temple to symbolically atone for thier sins- until Jesus came and ended blood sacrifice. He also had lots of other symbolic elements of his costume that are found in the Old Testament.
Herald angels at the top edge of the stage. I couldn't detect any safety harnesses or lanyards or even any hand or toe rails. If any of those actors lost their sense of space, it would have been about a 40 foot fall to the stage below to serious injury or death. In the course of the production, there were about 50 angels that appeared up there in varying numbers.
Here are the crosses that you saw in an earlier shot. I think there were about 15,000 people in attendance the night we were there. We were some distance back and I zoomed in the camera so the quality of these stage shots is not stellar.
Our home teacher played Apostle James and our neighbor across the back fence, also a member of our ward played, the baptized Jesus. There are 3 or 4 men who play Jesus at various points of His life. It was a great night weather-wise too. Great production!
Onward and upward- Shaw is entering a Lego contest for a $100 Lego gift card. He laid out an entire military base and we took a bunch of photographs to find a good one to submit.
This one is my favorite. I hope he picks this one.
Some Saturday one-on-one basketball with a friend. SWISH!! Nothin' but net!
Easter Sunday- afternoon family drive to check on the progress of the Phoenix Temple.
Lesa in her Easter Dress- looking good. Shaw with the goofy face- also looking good.
It's rising up out of the ground. You can see in the artist rendering above that this will be a shorter building with a larger footprint. The viewing deck was closed today so you can't see what I was able to view with my eyes but not capture with the camera. The basement and baptistry is still open and exposed on the left side of the shot. Back to the Gilbert Temple next month. (I hear that the Moroni statue is going up this month.)
